Target in Stockwell shooting contacts police

Youth hiding in south London shop when attackers opened fire, critically wounding a five-year-old girl, comes forward

Police officers search for forensic evidence near the Stockwell Food and Wine shop in south London, after a five-year-old girl and a 35-year-old man were critically injured in a shooting. Photograph: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

The news came as sources revealed that up to 50 gangs operate in the area where Thursha and another bystander became innocent victims of a vicious turf war.

Detectives investigating the shooting at the Stockwell Food and Wine Shop in south London on Tuesday night have called in territorial support group officers to reassure locals fearing revenge attacks.

Chief Superintendent Nick Ephgrave called for people in the area to come forward if they have information about the "truly shocking event".

A shopkeeper, believed to be Roshan Selvakumar, 35, was also hit, suffering a head wound during the attack.

They were caught up in the violence when two youths attempted to hide in the store as they were being chased by three other youths on bicycles.

One youth stopped at the door and opened fire indiscriminately.

The three attackers – who a witness said were aged between 14 and 17 – fled from the Stockwell Road shop, along Broomgrove Road and into the Stockwell Park estate.

The victims, who police said were Sri Lankan, were rushed to hospital in south London. They are both in a critical but stable condition. Thursha was visiting her aunt and uncle, when the attackers struck.

Crimestoppers is offering a £50,000 reward for information leading to the attackers' capture.

Police said the girl's 12-year-old brother and three-year-old sister were also in the shop at the time of the shooting, but were unhurt.

Thursha's parents held a bedside vigil as she fought to recover from her injuries, a close family friend said.

Velluppillai Navaratnam, 49, from Croydon, south London, said friends and family members were praying for her recovery. "I would like to say that it has been a very difficult time for family and friends," he told reporters at the scene of the shooting. "The parents of Thursha are at the hospital now. We are all praying for her to get well soon."

Officers are still reviewing CCTV footage in a bid to track down the culprits, Detective Chief Inspector Tony Boughton told reporters at the scene in Stockwell.

"We are beginning to get a clearer picture of what happened," he said. "One of the youths who first ran into the shop has come forward to police and is assisting us with our inquiries. We are still trying to trace the other individual and appeal to him to come forward."